The global mining sector was rocked by separate deadly incidents over the weekend. In Pakistan at least 23 miners were killed in a pair of accidents triggered by a gas explosion in a coal mine and in Poland, an earthquake at least two miners were killed in a coal mine following an earthquake in the region.

The BBC reported that a cave-in at a mine in Marwaarh, east of the city of Quetta in Balochistan, in western Pakistan killed 16 miners. Seven more were killed in a landslide at another mine nearby.

At least 15 more miners were injured in the two incidents.

Officials said the blast was caused by a build-up of methane gas.

“We are trying our best to recover bodies but it will take time as most of the bodies are buried very deep,” government official Jawaid Shahwani told AFP news agency from Quetta.

In Poland, teams were able to recover the bodies of two miners and were searching for three more miners on May 6. The search efforts were taking place 900 m (2,950 ft) below the surface at a coal mine located in the town of Jastrzebie-Zdroj, close to Poland's border with the Czech Republic.

More than 200 workers were involved in the rescue operation, working through twisted machinery and metal parts to get to the area where they expect to find the missing men. Ozon said emergency workers were pumping air into the affected area to lower the level of methane gas before they can safely move ahead.

A minor quake Sunday afternoon briefly delayed rescue efforts as it released more methane into the search area, the head of the Jastrzebie Coal Company, Daniel Ozon said.

The Associated Press reported that after the quake hit, four miners were rescued quickly but seven others went missing. Two of the missing were later found alive and have been hospitalized.

Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and President Andrzej Duda travelled to the town, visiting the hospitalized miners and meeting with their families and some of the rescuers. Duda extended his condolences to the victims' families.